Geo: I love this planet; Nature is my muse. As a prefix, geo- reflects my multivariate interests in everything about this fascinating planet and its' inhabits.

Photo: Something I love making and sharing, and presumably the reason you are here.

Cacher: of all sorts of things, including knowledge, photographs, memories, and geocaches.

Hello and welcome! I'm Brian Christian, your host here. My geocaching name is cougarox, so if you see that name it is me as well. I have found that geocaching is a great way to exercise both mind and body while enjoying geography and mapping; it has also brought me to very photogenic places I might not have discovered otherwise.

I've variously worked as a carpenter, cook, licensed massage therapist, corporate cog, tutor/trainer, sysadmin, and environmental technician/analyst. I was most of the way through coursework for a Biology degree when I got bitten by the computer bug and ended up with an MIS degree and most of an M.Ed. in Organizational Learning and Instructional Technology. For the last couple of years after getting laid off I've been doing a bit of consulting work and a whole lot of elder care for my mother and my mother-in-law, and as much photography as I can fit in.

I have been taking photos off and on ever since my parents thrust cameras into my hands as a kid. I learned how to shoot using a Yashica twin-lens reflex medium format (120mm) camera, and have mostly used a variety of Minolta SLRs since the 1970s. I initially went digital with a Canon A520 and used that for quite a while. When I lost it on a desert trail, I borrowed my wife's Nikon Coolpix L24. In late 2014, I discovered that I could adapt my collection of vintage Minolta and Vivitar lenses easily to a Sony a6000, and my passion for photography was properly reignited.

I am currently using these lenses with my Sony: Minolta MD 28/2.8, Rokkor-X 35-70/3.5, Rokkor-X 50/1.4, Rokkor-X 135/2.8, MD 100-200/5.6, Vivitar 17/3.5, and Series 1 90/2.5 and 500/5.6. My geocaching kit includes a Garmin GPSMap 64s, BaseCamp, GSAK, and various TOTTs (Tools of the Trade).